The Fire That Burns Hottest
by Tera Hunter
Summary: Jetfire loses control of his powers and accidentally offlines someone close to him and his twin. Rated T for "slight" angst. Twin fic.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N My attempt at a Jet Twin Fic. Takes place AFTER the return to Cybertron. Enjoy.**

_The factory had caught fire without warning. Flames were everywhere, too big, too fast, to intense for them to fight them. They had tried to escape, tried to run, tried to get out. It was useless. And now they were trapped._

_Trapped._

_Dying._

_And she…_

"_Brother, stop! You are going to be killing her!"_

"_I am trying, brother! I am trying! I cannot move!"_

_Jetstorm watched in horror as Jetfire tried to break the metal wrapped around him and the tiny femme pressed to his chest. It was difficult, because if he pushed to hard he would crush her against himself and if he didn't hurry…_

"_Brother!" Jetfire sobbed in between the femme's screams. "Brother I cannot stop! I cannot stop! I CANNOT STOP!"_

"_I am coming, brother! Hold on! Hold on, brother!"_

_Jetstorm writhed on the ground, trying desperately to dislodge himself from the equipment piled on top of him. He wasn't strong enough. "Hold on!"_

"_Brother!"_

_The metal around them was beginning to melt. The femme was still screaming._

"_Hold on…"_

_Her cries faded to choked cries as the blackened metal began to melt onto their plating._

"_Brother!"_

_The pile shifted, another ton of equipment slid from the top, crashing into his back and burying him further._

"_Hold on…"_

_His vocalizer was muffled._

"_BROTHER!"_

_He couldn't struggle anymore. But he HAD to!!!_

"_HOLD ON!"_

"_BROTHER!!!!"_

_Jetfire's voice was a piercing scream. As the metal finally separated and the femme fell away from him, covered in the now bubbling plasma of mixed metal and her own frame. He fell to his knees, sobbing, trying to crawl towards her, liquid metal still clinging to his frame._

"_Hold on…please hold on…"_

_Jetfire's head fell forward onto her chest plate and he lay still, optics dim._

"_She…"_

"_Hold on…" Jetstorm's voice cracked under the pressure, but he couldn't stop._

"_She's…"_

"…_no…"_

"_She is offl…" The dimmed optics flickered to life._

"_NO!" _

"_Offline. She's offline!" Jetfire sat up sharply, optics locked on her frame in horror._

"_No, Jetfire! No, no, no, nonononono…"_

_Jetfire's head fell back in a wail, his servos raised to his own spark._

"_I have deactivated her! I am murderer!"_

"_nonononononono…" Jetstorm continued to sob. "It is all right…it is being all right…nonononono…"_

_Jetfire's next words were lost in a keen of loss and horror. Jetstorm wished he could move, wished he could curl into a ball, wished he could throw himself onto his brother, to comfort him, to make him better. He wished a lot of things. When he finally drifted into the darkness his last wish was that he would never wake up._

OIO

"_You could not control it…calm down…It will be all right…"_

"_No…I killed her…I cannot fight back. I cannot control it anymore. It is too much. I am dangerous."_

"_You are a weapon, a weapon too young to control your powers without your brother. You could not have prevented what happened. You didn't know."_

"…_Take me offline."_

"_What?"_

"_I am not deserving to live. Take me offline, please."_

"…_I'm afraid I can't do that, Jetfire."_

"…_why?"_

"_Because Jetstorm still needs you."_

"_Jetstorm would be perfect if it was not being for me."_

"_That is not true!"_

"_Yes. Is true. If Jetstorm was being alone, he would not need to be controlling me. He would be normal. I am not safe. Please! Take me offline!"_

"_I…I can't. What are you doing?"_

"_If you are not assisting me in the going offline, I will be offlining myself."_

"NO!"

Jetstorm surged upward, his optics wide and bright with horror. Jetfire glanced towards hi s brother in surprise as his twin crashed into him, carrying him to the ground as he struggled to take the scalpel from his hand. "No brother! Do not die! You must stay online! Do not leave me!"

Jetfire sat up, forcing Jetstorm into his lap while holding the scalpel above and behind his head, out of reach. His optics were bright with surprise. "How are you moving, brother?"

"What are you meaning?"

"Your legs…"

Jetstorm looked at the mentioned limbs in surprise. They were bare all the way down to the struts, struts that looked suspiciously new.

"What happened?"

"Your lower frame was crushed by the equipment we found you under." Red Alert stepped forward, catching Jetstorm's attention for the first time. "Sentinel had to push most of the rubble off of you before pulling you out. We were surprised you stayed online long enough to go into shock. Everything below your spark chamber was cracked."

Jetfire's faceplate darkened noticeably and he glanced away in shame and self anger. "I am sorry, my brother. It is all being my fault."

Jetstorm wheeled back towards him. "Negative, brother. It was being my idea to go to the faculty we were sparked in. It is being my fault."

"No. If I was being in control of my powers, I would have been stopping the fire before it started…" His optics dimmed with pain. "Not making it worse for us."

"Jetfire…"

His twin cut him off. "If I had been letting you hold…her…she would not have been touching me. I would not have…" He began to shiver. "I would not have offlined her…my powers…were not under my control...again." Coolant leaked from his optics. "And now, they will lock me up…for being a monster. I am worse than Decepticon."

Jetstorm turned around and managed to settle in between his brothers legs after a moment of struggling. He pulled his brother's head forward against his chassis, coolant of his own dripping onto his brother's helm as he shuddered in his arms.

"Hush now brother. It will be okie dokie. Jazz and Sentinel will be taking care of us. We will be all right…hold on…"

Jetfire shook his head without lifting it, not wanting to pull away from his brother's gently humming spark.

"We must be strong, brother. She… would not want us to be crying."

Jetfire stiffened. Jetstorm clung tighter, suddenly terrified that his brother would explode again. When Jetfire spoke again, his voice was a low whisper that made Jetstorm's spark ache.

"You are right, my brother. Now is time for acting. Not for thinking." He sat up, lifting his hands to cover his brother's servos on his shoulders. "I am being stupid. If I run away from the problems I make, then I really _am_ no better than Decepticon." He raised his eyes; using every drop of control he had over his motor functions to force a smile. "I am now wishing to speak with Sentinel and the big boss Ultra Magnus." He said, not looking towards the medic as he addressed her.

Red Alert hesitated, not wanting to leave them alone so soon after Jetfire's little "fit". Then she looked at them again, Jetstorm's optics rose to meet hers and he managed a small, confident nod. She slipped out without a word.

As soon as she was gone Jetfire buried his face in his brother's chest again. "I am leaving, my brother."

"Where are we going?" Jetstorm responded coolly.

"I am not knowing. I must learn to be in control. So I do not harm them again. And I must do it alone."

"Indeed, brother. It would not do for the others to stop us."

Jetfire sat up, optics hard. "I am not bringing you with me, brother. It is too dangerous!" His hands burst into flame, singing his brother's arms. He flinched and pulled back in horror.

Jetstorm didn't even flinch.

"It is more dangerous for you to be going alone." Jetstorm's expression remained calm and assertive as he raised his own hands to cover his brother's servos, bathing them in ice. He pressed his face closer, forcing their optics to meet. "You _will not_ leave me behind. I will teach you to control yourself."

Jetfire remained tense for a long moment. Jetstorm didn't waver. Then his optics softened, relief flooded his stance and he collapsed onto his twin's shoulder. "Is that threat?"

"No. That is promise."

They lay there for a long moment. Then Jetfire whispered: "For Sari."

Jetstorm nodded. "For Sari."

**A/N yes, that is who they killed. I use way too many OCs already, I don't want another one. (She may or may not be dead. I'm not sure yet. Ideas?) Anyway, if ou want more, please feed my vampiric plot bunnies with your reviews. Thank you.**


	2. Finding the Trigger

**A/N: Updates at last. Sorry everyone, my laptop was inbetween me and a car walking home late at night. (It kind of threw me off...and halfway across the street. I'm fine now, though!) Anyways, I hope this sates everyone until I'm back on track. Luvs and enjoy!**

:::On a Small Asteroid Far from Cybertron:::

"So…First we must be…finding trigger, right?"

Jetfire nodded solemnly as his brother sat down in front of him. "That is logical, brother. If I can be finding trigger then I can be avoiding it."

"Okie dokie, then!" Jetstorm smiled, trying to provoke the same expression from his brother. Jetfire was still unhappy that his brother had insisted on coming. "We must be thinking…what is happening when these things are happening?"

Jetfire's frown deepened. He shuttered his optics in thought. "I am not knowing for sure…maybe it is happening when I am angry? Like when we are facing Starscream clone in training program?"

Jetstorm tilted his head to the side. "I…am not remembering this, brother. Are you being sure?"

Jetfire blinked. "You are not remembering? It was first time that we were forming Safeguard…" He trailed off, trying to replay the scene mentally. Each image was still tense and crisp in his replay. His brother had nearly been offlined that day…he shuddered and repressed the emotions that were attached to that thought. Jetstorm _had_ been strangely quiet after that incident, but Jetfire had blamed it on the stress of Elite Guard training. Maybe his brother had simply forgotten. "Perhaps it was nothing more than Spark Dreams…" Jetfire said slowly, logging it away into his back processor to bring up again later.

Concern flickered through Jetstorm's visor. "Let us be trying a different time."

"Good idea, brother. How about other simulation? Remember the time you and Sentinel are both falling off ship in the game? I was very surprised!"

"Not as much as I was being!" Jetstorm laughed. "Sentinel was almost crushing me when we fell!"

Jetfire's lips twitched but he didn't laugh. "Sentinel was not being very happy when I fried program controls, was he?"

_Jetfire heard the scream and spun around, rushing to the edge of the platform as his blue companions plummeted over the side. Jetfire stiffened, one hand on the doorframe as he watched them fade away. "It is just simulation. He is being okay. It is just simulation. He is being okay. It is just simulation. He is being okay…" Jetstorm called to him for help. The voice stopped speaking._

Jetstorm shook his head slowly, not noticing Jetfire's expression. This event he remembered well. It had been the first time he rememebered seeing Jetfire's power in action. He'd been trapped underneath Sentinel and the simulated ship was pulling away from them. He'd called to Jetfire for help in moving Sentinel, but only the help had made it out when Jetfire lost it. His expression had gone from horribly still to contorted with rage and the entire program had exploded. Sentinel had covered Jetstorm to protect him, but the heat had been intense.

"Let us keep on checking, brother."

Jetfire shrugged, activating a memory scan for relaterd incidents. Before his scan could be completed, however, Jetstorm spoke again.

"Are you remembering the crazybot?"

"You are reminding me." Jetfire teased, then bit his lower lip thoughtfully. "When Decepticons are surprising us on ship after passing through energy storm, right?" Jetstorm nodded and let him continue as they replayed the instance in their heads. "The giant lugger-bot was almost offlining us, but smugglerbot is wanting us …for _parts_." Jetfire's servoes clenched into fists before he could stop them, his eyes glowing slightly. "He is trying to take you away and he is hurting you. I…I am catching fire…but I can't hit him with you in the way…" His optics flickered uncertainly as Jetstorm slid a hand onto his shoulder, breaking the spell.

"But Blitzwing crazybot is putting us back in same cage, remember?" Jetstorm waited for Jetfire to nod before smiling sadly. "Is too bad he is being Decepticon. He is seeming so nice to me…"

Jetfire's faceplate split into an honest grin. "I am especially liking his random-face. He is being very funny!" He trailed off laughing as he recalled the long hours they'd spent in their cells, listening to Blitzwing talk to himself whenever he was on duty, his soft murmuring punctuated with irritation and short songs had lulled them to sleep more than once.

"I am wondering…maybe…could Blitzwing be helping us?"

Jetfire switched out of recall. "What?"

"He is struggling with crazy-sides for many more cycles than we have been online…maybe he is having ideas!" Jetstorm defended himself quickly.

Jetfire had frozen in place. "You are wanting to trust _Decepticon_?"

"Of course not!" Jetstorm snapped. "I am being open to ideas, not stupid!" Jetstorm bit out, then closed his mouth at the slightly stunned look on Jetfire's face. Softened, Jetstorm slipped his servoes into Jetfire's. "Besides. This is Jet Twin problem. We will be handling it."

They sat there for some time, just staring at each other's hands as though they had nothing else to do. They didn't really notice anything special about it, it was just something they did when trapped in thought and silence. Jetstorm cleared his vocalizer at last, but not loud enough to disturb the comfortable atmosphere. "So…what other things can we be remembering?"

Jetfire frowned, his optics darkened, the mood shattered as his vocalizer broke. "Sari."

Jetstorm's denta clenched his lower lip, much like Jetfire's had earlier. "Yes…that _is_ being other time…"

Silence fell again. This time the lack of sound pressed down on them, making them lean forward slightly to shoulder the invisible weight. Jetfire began to shake. "I am not understanding…Factory is beginning to fall apart and I am trying to find you. Sari is not leaving and…I find you but…but I cannot reach you…" Jetfire's eyes had suddenly shifted to gold as the memory took control again. It was a flaw in his programming, something to do with focus. If Jetfire took the time to really think about something, it would occupy his processor to the point where he could relive it. Sentinel had used it more than once to review training excersises. Jetfire's optics began to darken with orange as he continued. "I cannot be losing you…so I…Sari is screaming…"

Startled, Jetstorm charged his hands and pressed them against his brother's cheeks, draining the heat from them and de-trancing him again. "It is all right, brother. I am being here for you."

Jetfire's optics were yellow again, but dark with sorrow. "Sari is not. She is being offline and it is being my fault."

Jetstorm shook him slightly. "That is why we must be getting stronger, remember? We must be getting ready to stop it from happening again, right brother?"

After a long breem, Jetfire nodded his head.

"Good." Jetstorm slid his hands back down into Jetfire's servoes, trying to insert an air of authority into his words. "Now, what are we having so far?"

Jetfire counted each event off on his fingers. "First, there is being one time you fell. I was being startled and not wanting to leave you alone. Then, smuggler-bot was hurting you and I am being very angry." This was followed by a mutter. Jetfire cursed the smooth-talking scrap trader and also mumbled the part about Starscream. He wasn't willing to disount that experience just yet. "And then there is time I am scared to lose you and…and Sari." He finished the count sadly, staring at the three fingers on his hand that stood as marks against him, subconciously adding the fourth.

Jetstorm frowned thoughtfully, leaning back and glancing upwards at the sky. "You are always being emotional when you are losing control?"

An idea formed. "Perhaps all I am needing is less emotions?"

"Good idea, brother! But how can we be learning to not be upset anymore?"

"Maybe…" Jetfire trailed off. "I am being stupid, brother."

"What is your thinking, brother? Tell me?" Jetstorm pressed.

"Maybe we _should _be trying to…" Jetfire shook his head again. The heat rising in his metal cheeks tinged them a light gray.

"Say it quickly so is not being so hard."

Jetfire took a deep breath. "?"

Jetstorm shuttered and opened his optics. "You are wanting to free Blitzwing to ask his help?" The statement was torn halfway between a fact and a clarification.

Jetfire nodded miserably, knowing his brother had already suggested the idea earlier. It just made more sense now. Jetstorm would probably blow him off and think of something else, less dangerous. "I am a crazy bot…"

Jetstorm stuck his glossa out of the side of his mouth. "But how is we getting him out?"

Jetfire stared as Jetstorm's faceplate split slowly into a dark grin. "I am having an idea, brother."

**A/N Aw, crap, this will no end well, will it? Okay peoples! I need to look up Stockade stuff, so any extra ideas/info would be welcome!!! This chapter is actually the second draft. The first was lost with my old laptop (stupid car accident, for those who don't know). As such, I may have missed a few things or forgotten a few flashbacks. Oh well, this works. Hope everyone likes it and has good plot bunny food for me! (Lil' buggers are eating my new binders to shreds.)**

**Oh! And here's a little teaser: Those of you who have read the comic (if you haven't let me know and I'll try to summarize it next time) I had a little brainstorm: What's Jetfire going to do when he finds out WHY Jetstorm doesn't remember Starscream?**

**And one more: No, Jetfire's problem is NOT that simple. Not entirely. C:**


End file.
